What the Spurs and Mavs said after the game

Here’s a quick look at some of the locker room quotes after Dallas’ 103-94 victory over the Spurs Friday night.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

(Popovich’s opening statement)

“Dallas did a great job tonight. As a group they executed better than we did. I think they were a bit hungry and a bit more competitive than we were tonight. It showed up in the fourth quarter when I think they scored 32 or 34 in the fourth quarter. They did a good job.”

(On San Antonio’s 18 turnovers)

“Well that was a big problem. We’d get a four-point lead or a five-point lead, that kind of thing, and give it away two, three, four times with turnovers, so we were pretty sloppy. We had too many guys who were basically out to lunch tonight. So as a group, we didn’t execute very well on either end of the floor. Dallas took advantage of that and did a very good job.”

(On the 13 assists on 31 baskets…is that indicative of lack of ball movement or guys trying to do too much)

“I think it was mostly lack of ball movement; just not being very sharp tonight.”

(On the difficulties Tyson Chandler gave the Spurs inside)

“He came with a lot of energy. He hit the board hard on both ends. He’s a big target down there and he competed his -ss off all night long.”

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili

(On if turnovers were the biggest problem tonight)

“Yeah, especially in the first half. Down the stretch, we had a couple, but in the first half it’s what kept them in the game. We were making shots, we were playing well, but when you turn over the ball, it’s hard to get a lead. The last few games we were executing great down the stretch and making the shots, but today they did. It was pretty clear that they made all the shots they needed and we didn’t.”

(On giving up 32 points to the Mavericks in the fourth quarter)

“Yeah, they were pretty good. They executed very well, they made the shots they needed to make, and our defense always looked like it was a step behind them. We could never anticipate them and a team like them, they make you pay. It’s one of the top five in the league so you can’t make that many mistakes.”

(On if the Spurs had a lack of focus)

“We didn’t have as many players playing as well as the games before, but when that happens, if your defense is solid and you get the boards, and you don’t turn the ball over, you can make other things happen. So today there were too many things: 18 turnovers, bad defense, a few plays where we got there too late and we had to foul. So there’s too many things that didn’t go right and we lost to a great team.”

(On if New Orleans will be a hard team to bounce back against)

“They are never an easy team and they are playing with a lot of confidence. They are going to be playing at home and it’s always tough. The tandem of [Chris] Paul and [David] West is always tough to guard for us, so we’re going to have to do a great job to get this loss back. We have to get that win. It’s going to be a huge game for us because they’re one of the best teams in the league, they’re playing great.”

(On if it’s a surprise that the Hornets are 11-3)

“If you think about it, it’s not because they’re a great team. The thing is we kind of forgot about them last year because of injuries. People were starting to ignore them, big mistake. They’re talented, they play hard, the new coaches are making them play well and hard, so they are back.”

Spurs guard George Hill

(On if it’s a strange feeling to lose)

“Not really. I think everyone knows how it feels to lose here. We’re not focusing on it, it’s a game, it happened. You have to tip your hat to the Mavericks, they played great. And we have another one Sunday.”

(On if the Spurs were unfocused tonight)

“I don’t know. You try not to make excuses, but you still have to go out there and play basketball because that’s our job. You can throw a lot of things in the equation. We didn’t take care of the ball very good and it cost us. We’re going to take everything we did today and learn from it and try to apply it to the game on Sunday.”

(On if Tyson Chandler made it difficult for the guards to get to the rim)

“Not really. We were still able to score the ball. I think it was more turnovers and transition points than anything. Anytime you turn the ball over like we did and that shoot 23 free throws in the first half, it shouldn’t be a pretty game for us.”

(On if it was surprising to have that many turnovers)

“It was pretty surprising. You can blame it on the turkey or whatever, but it happens. It’s been a good journey so far, so the only thing we can do is focus on Sunday. The game is over and that’s all we can do.”

(On if the Hornets are a tough team to bounce back against)

“Not really. They lost the other day, too. We’re both coming in with about the same record. We both have a chip on our shoulders, so we’ll see how we bounce back after this. I think we have a lot of great veterans in this locker room that are going to bounce back and really play with a chip on their shoulders, so I think it’s going to be exciting.”

(On if the people have forgotten about Chris Paul)

“Not really. I think everyone knows Chris Paul is Chris Paul and he’s still one of the best point guards in the league. We’re going to have our hands full because he has a lot of chips around him that can make plays. But we win together, we lose together. The only thing we’re focusing on now is Sunday’s game and we’re going to have fun doing it.”

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle

(On evaluating the difference in the game)

“It was plays here and there. It was back and forth the whole game. We were able to string together some stops and scores in the fourth (quarter) that gave us a bit of a cushion. But it’s tough. Ginobili is playing great– He is throwing in some unbelievable shots. It was a game of will and we survived it.”

(On the four-minute span without a Spurs field goal)

“I’m not sure what caused that but all I know is we were trying really hard out there. We were giving a great effort and we had great spirit out there. The guys on the bench were really helping the guys that were on the floor. When it’s all together like that, you have a chance.”

(On Shawn Marion’s performance at the end of the game)

“It has been two games in a row that Marion has gone toe-to-toe and really battled one of the top players in the game. Right now Ginobili is playing as well as anybody in the two position in basketball. He (Marion) had a competitiveness and intensity about him, and the rest of the group fed off it.”

(On Tyson Chandler’s performance)

“Chandler has been giving this to us all year. I thought (Ian) Mahinmi came in and gave us a big lift. (Alexis) Ajinca came in there and hasn’t played the game all year and gave us length and a couple of rebounds. Everybody was supportive of those guys (Mahinmi and Ajinca). That was great. The play at the end of the third and the dunk that Mahinmi got were very big momentum plays for us.”

(On offense in the fourth quarter)

“The reason you get going on offense is because you are stopping people. It’s extremely hard to score when you have to walk it down the floor after the other team has scored on you. The fact we were getting some stops gave us some daylight and allowed our playmakers to make some plays. They did a great job.”

“We play our best when we play out of flow. We are not calling a lot of plays when we are getting stops and using the space on the floor. Our guys are veteran enough to know that this is a 48-minute game. If it was 36 minutes or 24 we would have been in some trouble tonight, but Mavs basketball is 48 minutes. We have been doing a good job in the fourth quarters. We are always looking to get better from top to bottom, first to fourth but this was a strong finish for us.”

(Discussion when Mavs lineup stayed big and Spurs went small)

“That lineup presented us with the opportunity to go small but we decided not to do it because we like playing to our length when we can. (Ian) Mahinmi did a good job. He has length, quickness and tenacity, which we like those three things about him. Things fit together and it worked out. We are very happy and get the opportunity tomorrow night to play at home and we want to finish off the week right.”

(Pattern of Mavs finishing games when they kept close)

“These guys believe in the group. We believe in each other. I think as a team, there is nothing so far this year that has gotten us down in any situation in a game. I think that that is an important characteristic if you are trying to be great. We are not great yet but we are working on it. We have a ways to go. We have to get healthier and we have some other things to do. But we are really together right now and that’s really important.”

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki

(Opening statement)

“It was a big win. We kept plugging and were right there where we wanted to be going into the fourth quarter. We had a great fourth quarter, lots of ball movement. Guys made big shots. (Shawn) Marion was incredible today; he had a big and one down the middle. Jet (Jason Terry) had some big shots. I have to hand it to Tyson (Chandler) he’s been a beast. He’s laying the ball in, he’s making his free-throws; it’s been fun to play with him. It was a great team effort.”

(When asked about Coach Pop staying small when Dallas was big)

“Pop is a match-up master. If he’s not the best coach in the NBA; he’s up there. He always throws different stuff at us. I liked how we moved the ball; we didn’t force anything. When I had a smaller guy, I tried to go down and post up, but they (Spurs) have so many schemes down there I knew they would come and double and scramble. We didn’t force anything and we kept the ball hopping. We just made some big plays when we needed to.”

Mavericks center Tyson Chandler

(When asked what was the difference in the game tonight)

“We kept to our game plan from first quarter all the way to the fourth. We made great adjustments in the game and because of that we kept them a little off beat. We played excellent defense. Shawn (Marion) played great defense; he was harassing (Manu) Ginobili. The key thing is that we got back. Ginobili and (Tony) Parker are two of the best in transition; drawing fowls and getting lay-ups. They’ll keep you on your heels. We got back and we had four men back at one time. That kept the Spurs from fast breaks points and made them play half court.”

Mavericks guard Jason Terry

(When asked about coming into San Antonio and stopping the Spurs wining streak)

“We didn’t know what the streak was. It’s just a matter that they’re playing well, we’ve been playing pretty good and we know that this is our rival. This is what the rivalry is about. We play them three more times and probably in the playoffs again. They’re playing well this year and they’re not going to stop now just because they lost this one. I like what they have done, they have a good team.”